Stop Staring
by Invader Phoenix
Summary: Why wouldn't they stop staring at him?  He wasn't the only one like this. It was all Dib's fault...


**A oneshot I thought of the other day. As usual, please R&R. Constructive criticim appreciated. :)**

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><p>His eyes were fixed on the doors. It was so simple. Just open them. March into the high school. Nothing too complicated. What should he be afraid of? He'd always hated coming here. But today was…different. He hadn't been in class for a few weeks, and he didn't want them to see.<p>

Just do it.

Closing his eyes, he pushed open the doors. Entering the building, he noticed a couple of glances cast his way. Some kids noticed it immediately, other looked back. He cast his eyes downward as he shuffled through the hallway, but he still felt their questioning, confused eyes trained on him.

_Stop staring at me_, he thought. _Stop! I'm not the only one…_ He'd heard about others with a similar condition to his, but this didn't stop the feelings. The feelings of being…_alien_. Ironic. Being from another planet made him feel superior. But this… This made him feel weak.

His sleeve would've hidden it. Then no one would ever see his shame. But the sleeve kept getting caught…

He shook this thought away as he approached his locker. Quickly entering the combination, he pulled out a couple of folders and books. Stupid school. Stupid children. Stupid Dib.

It was all his enemy's fault. This whole mess. If Dib had just minded his own business instead of butting in where he didn't belong, none of this would have happened.

The stares continued to follow him into homeroom. He looked across the room to see his reaction. Dib, too, was staring. But not like the others. The other gazes were of puzzlement and shock. But in Dib's eyes, there was _laughter_. The human had clapped his hand in front of his mouth to keep from _laughing_ at him. The Irken's 'fingers' scraped against the desk. It was Dib's fault that this had happened to him, and the boy had the urge to _laugh_?

The classes passed by in a dull wave, one after the other. And, of course, students gawked at the sight of him. What was wrong with these people? He wasn't the only one in the world who was like this. There were plenty of others. It seemed today that their purpose was to mock him in his weakness. He'd show them. He'd show them all.

This wouldn't stop him. He was an Invader. He could go on. What had happened wasn't going to keep him from his mission, no matter how horrid it was.

Lunch came unexpectedly. Though what the teachers said in class was all a muddled blur, the stares and odd looks had dragged out the day until it had lasted a lifetime. And every time he saw him, the Dib-monkey had that evil, victorious expression…

Sitting down at his usual table in the corner of the cafeteria, he tugged on his glove. This, unlike his sleeve, was pulled tight over the limb. At least it didn't get caught like the glove. He inwardly sighed. He hadn't even bothered to try and eat the "food" served today. Why couldn't anything go his way?

As if on cue, a figure slid in on the other side of the table. He didn't look at them. The other, Dib, just raised one eyebrow, a cocky smirk upon his countenance.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He snapped his head up. "What?" he barked.

Dib's grin grew a bit wider. "Wow, Zim. I didn't think that a little scratch like that would cause _this_ much damage."

Zim narrowed his eyes. "That was no 'little scratch'. If it was, you wouldn't be here to brag about it."

Dib simply snickered. "Yeah, right."

"Why couldn't you just mind your own business, filth beast?"

"The saving of mankind is always my business."

Zim clenched his fists. "What do you think saving your race is? Breaking into my house? And then doing _that_ to me?"

The human let out a light laugh. "You must feel pretty stupid, having to resort to the healing methods of your 'future slaves.'"

"It wasn't MY choice!"

"Then they forced you?"

The Irken closed his eyes. His foe's assumption wasn't far from the truth. He remembered the protests; the kicking; the screaming. His shrieks and hollers echoing through the hospital. Zim had screeched his head off, telling them that it was his. They couldn't take it away from him. But in the end, they'd pulled a mask over his face and the world went black. Not wanting to admit this, however, he repeated to his enemy the same words the doctors had spoken to him so many times.

"It had to be done."

Dib was quiet for a moment. "Whatever. Now you know what happens to those who mess with earth."

Zim ground his teeth together and slammed his fist on the table. "LIES! You think the Invasion will be foiled by THIS? A minor setback; that's all it is."

The boy just smiled malevolently. He reached out and poked the alien's right arm.

Zim didn't feel it, of course, but he sharply jerked the limb back. "Don't touch it!"

Dib chuckled. "Face it, Zim. You're no better than any of us"

"YOU WOULDN'T BE LAUGHING IF IT WAS YOU!"

"But it wasn't me. So I have every right to laugh."

"YOU LIE!" His breathing was growing heavy with fury. Zim lowered his tone to a growl. "But I guess you wouldn't know, stupid creature that you are. It was foolish to expect you to understand."

The human began to appear tense. "And why are you so much better?" came Dib's retort. "Some sort of alien gene that makes you automatically superior to everything you see? If that's your excuse, it's a pretty lame one. What kind of 'superior being' can't take a tiny cut?"

"IT WASN'T A TINY CUT!"

Another snicker. "Wow. And I wasn't even trying that hard."

"LIES! NOTHING BUT HIDEOUS LIES!" Zim stood up. "And no matter what you say, I am the superior being! That thing you pulled- it would have done the same to anyone!"

Dib rubbed the table with his finger, maintaining solid eye contact with the Irken. "Really? What did your leaders say about it?"

Zim's muscles tightened. Was he...toying with him? Nonsense. Nothing but nonsense. Dib couldn't have known that he hadn't called the Tallest since the incident. His leaders must surely have been growing worried… But Zim couldn't have them see it. He wasn't the only being in the universe under these circumstances, but an Irken… He may as well have hung a sign around his neck reading "DISGRACE."

He needed to say something. Under no conditions could he show weakness. Dib would NOT win this one.

Zim smirked. "They hardly noticed."

Dib's eyed widened in surprise. The Irken felt a small spark of victory ignite inside him, only to be extinguished by Dib's next comeback. "Then they must be blind. After all, everyone _else_ has noticed how weak you are."

Zim scanned the cafeteria. The stares were not as constant as they had been before, but eyes were focused on him at any given moment. Curious looks flickering in the ocean of beings. Oh, how he hated those stares! He'd been on this planet for YEARS, supporting the perfect cover of a normal child. Now he stood out. This was an injury that couldn't be healed. A scar, set on his life to mock him. To throw everything he'd worked so hard to earn down the drain.

NO! He was above that. Every challenge life had tossed his way, he had overcome. Military training- he'd become not only an Elite, but an _Invader_: the highest honor other than being Tallest! Banishment to Foodcourtia- not only had he escaped, but he'd been given a secret mission from his leaders! And living on earth, battling the Dib-stink- he'd won too many times to count! Dib had had his victories, but he'd never be laughing for long. The human had won this battle, but he wouldn't win the war. _I will be the victor,_ the Irken thought. _I am above such infantile games. I…am…ZIM!_

And he punched Dib in the face.

The boy staggered back, clutching his nose. Zim grinned. Maybe his condition _did_ have its advantages.

Dib looked up, his nose slightly bleeding. "What was that for?"

Zim turned away. "You're never going to win, Dib-worm. If there's one thing you're wrong about, I AM NOT WEAK."

He walked away as the bell rang, hugging the metal arm tight to his body. The amputation hadn't given him a weakness. It had given him a strength.


End file.
